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Robotic Welding vs Manual Welding

May 8, 2020

To meet the demands of the welding process, robotic welding has emerged as an important advancement. When it comes to robotic vs manual welding, each technique has specific pros and cons. So how does each process work, and what are their advantages? Here’s what you need to know.

Robotic Welding

So what is robotic welding? Like it sounds, robotic welding is when robots are used to automate the welding process. There are two types of robotic welding: fully-automated and semi-automated. With fully-automated robotic welding, the robots guide the metal through the entire process. With semi-automated robotic welding, a person loads the metal and then unloads it when the process is complete. There are several pros of robotic welding, including:

Increased output: Robots work more quickly and accurately than humans, and they can also complete multiple welds simultaneously, resulting in increased productivity and output.

Lack of flexibility: Robotic welding works well for simple, repeated tasks, but it is not nearly as adaptable as manual welding. When you need to change what you’re welding, the robots need to be reconfigured, which takes money and time.

Dependence: If your company is dependent on robotic welding, it can be highly problematic if there are technical issues with the robots.

High cost: You won’t have to pay as many human workers, but you will have to pay high upfront costs for initial setup and maintenance.